How To Listen To Your Body

        Listening to your body in an art. I remember years ago when I first heard this I was saying to myself “how do you do that? My awareness levels were on the precipice of a new dawn of awakening, I felt I was beginning an inner journey of self discovery, health and healing and I was waking up to something better emotionally, physically and spiritually.

The journey of being receptive to my own body’s messages could first be narrowed down to answering this question how am I feeling? Ask yourself that right now? Any aches or pains? – what’s happening in your body? Feel good? Feel restless, irritated, tired or overwhelmed? Do you know?

Today’s blog comes to your from someone who’s taken the journey of not knowing to someone who really knows. However, I didn’t even know how to decipher these emotions until I first learned how to quiet my mind.
My mind is a very active mind. And being so active it used to run away with itself from time to time. I felt blessed to have been shown a practice that helped me to focus and be in tune with my body. Some people already know the messages their body sends, but I am a learner and had to learn this before I could master it. If you are a learner then this is definitely for you!

A series of things began to happen after asking a few personal questions; ones I wanted answers to. Answers came, albeit in a different fashion to what I thought. This was the introduction to meditation, something that has ended up making a profound difference in my daily life.

I knew very little about meditation 13 years ago. I thought it was something that Buddhist monks did and that was about it. I had never done it or thought about it and I didn’t know anyone who practiced it. However, one day the signs began to flow. They came across my screen of consciousness via a National Geographic TV show. I remember a guy sitting on a chair keeping his back straight wearing an airplane mask to cover his eyes from any distraction. The narrator spoke of the massive physical benefits that just 20 minutes a day of quieting the mind had on the human brain scientifically. I also read about incorporating it into your daily life in Deepak Chopra’s amazing book “Perfect Health.” This was so inspiring to me. Then finally the third message came via a chance encounter with an Indian man in a shop who said, “take this flyer this is the real deal a meditation class.” So now I was curious.

I did the class, signed up for the weekend special and was introduced to Transcendental Meditation or TM. I was given a private mantra (just for me) to repeat silently to myself when thoughts arose. That was it, simple, just repeat the mantra when thoughts arise for your 2 meditations a day. I was told to keep it a secret as it was sacred just to me. Within 2 weeks my teacher Colin asked me to call him back just to check in. When we spoke he said “has anything happened in the last 2 weeks”? I said, “no nothing.” Then he asked, “meditation is not about attaining anything or getting anywhere it’s just about quieting the mind.” Then I thought and mentioned, “actually something has happened that’s unusual, I woke up sweating and had to change the bed sheets 2 nights in a row.” Colin replied, “that’s fantastic that means you body is releasing toxins!”

And that was my first understanding of listening to my body’s messages. Now if I feel a slight twinge after a workout I take it easy to maintain balance. When I feel restless I workout. When I’m eating good foods I feel healthy and clear-headed. I’ve noticed that my body sweats a lot when I eat rich foods especially in my sleep. When I feel aches the next day I tend to slow my workouts right down and go for brisk walks instead to maintain a balance and I’ll also do yoga to stretch. When I have plenty of energy I’ll run, do weights, HIIT or sports or anything that will utilize my vitality.

Everyone is different but listening to your body’s messages can be a life saver as it helps you to maintain a balance which is key to your quality of life.

Live well, Live inspired!

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Resistance Band Exercise For Beginners

The resistance band is an amazing product that has a very unique physical property which is known as variable elastic potential. Basically the way it works is that the more you stretch the band the more resistance that is applied, and the faster it will snap back. You will find that the resistance bands because of the elastic approach it will build up the speed in your body in comparison to weights.

Resistance band exercises are a great alternative to any type of fitness exercise that creates impact on the body, since it virtually has no impact. An instance where it may be useful for example is with multiple sclerosis patients who can barely walk will be able to utilize the resistance bands to keep the blood flowing through their legs by doing a few stretches with the band wrapped around one of their feet. The resistance band provides a great alternative for all individuals in society.

Advantages Of Resistance Bands -

o Excellent for muscle build up and toning of the muscles.

o Increases one's flexibility and range of motion.

o Eases the discomfort for sufferers of any movement disabilities due to its low impact activities.

o Great for rehabilitation patients who need to recover from an injury.

o Resistance bands can be used by all types of people, varying in heights, weight and age. This includes children as well!

o Use can be instant as there is no setup time, so therefore faster results will occur.

o Very inexpensive so affordable by all.

o Very portable ensuring your workouts can be undertaken in all types of environments.

o Resistance bands can be purchased in varying resistances, so as you improve you can opt for a more difficult band.

o Core muscles are engaged during your workout unlike other traditional strength training exercises.

o Can target the hard to hit muscles unlike most weight routines. In particular the fast twitch fibre muscles in your body are targeted.

o Can shorten the length of the resistance band and this can make the exercise harder to do.

o Can implement sport focused activities such as trying to improve your golf swing or pitching a baseball. Really builds the muscles in the areas that you should be focusing on for these sports.

Obviously a resistance band workout is not going to get all the results that you need. Because it's more a toning exercise you need to combine the workout with mild aerobic exercises as well as a healthy diet. By doing this you will notice results much faster, and obviously achieve better results.

Just like with all pieces of fitness equipment you need to warm up your muscles and joints before applying any type of resistance. A warm up can be for example performing the exercise without the exercise band. There are so many different resistance band exercises that this article would not be able to cover them in such a short time. If you search the term "resistance band exercises" on Google you will have an unlimited source of workout images and routines at your fingertips. Don't hesitate any longer, pick up a resistance band today and start achieving results in the different parts of your body today!

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Benefits of Swimming

If you like being in the water, here is some information that will have you smiling all the way to the pool: swimming is an excellent form of all-round exercise. When you exercise on land, there are many factors working against you. First, you have to battle the force of your full weight. Next, you place an awful lot of pressure on your bones and joints, particularly if you are overweight.

Then, there is also the feeling of exhaustion creeping up on you as sweat trickles from every pore and you feel sore muscles creaking in protest. Swimming eliminates all the distress of exercising.
Some of the benefits of swimming are:
Swimming is an excellent exercise for those people who want to lose weight. Studies suggest that people expend more than twice the same number of calories when they are swimming when compared to jogging or climbing stairs. At the same time, since the body's temperature does not rise during this exercise, exercisers are spared the sharp pangs of 'after-workout hunger'.

The benefits of swimming are available even to people suffering from medical problems. The buoyancy of water acts naturally to form a protective cocoon around the body, taking away any excess pressure on the bones, joints and muscles. There is no harsh pounding or jerks to jolt the system. That is why swimming is the recommended exercise for people recouping from an injury or having a history of medical problems.
Swimming is 100% safe. When performed correctly, the rhythmic motion of the arms and legs makes it impossible for you to sustain an injury while swimming. Swimming is an exercise that most people can enjoy, regardless of their weight, age and fitness level.
Swimming is a comfortable exercise. Most people hate working out in summer when the mercury climbs to unbearable levels. Even warm days can put an end to your workout plans. With swimming, you do not need to endure unbearable heat and discomfort. You can control the temperature of the water so that nothing interferes with your exercise routine.

The benefits of swimming makes itself apparent in all parts of your body. It exercises all the major muscle groups, even the lower abdomen and the hips! Since swimming requires you to fight the resistance of water, muscle development takes place. You also improve your strength and flexibility. Improving muscle mass and improving flexibility becomes all the more important as you age and become more prone to injuries and debilitating conditions like osteoporosis and arthritis. Swimming improves cardiovascular health, rejuvenates your circulation and leaves minimal residual soreness in the muscles. Controlled breathing improves the strength of the lung muscles too. Swimming also improves the efficiency of the heart. Contrast this with most land exercises that concentrate on one group of muscles or a single aspect of fitness.

The benefits of swimming extend to the mind too. People who swim regularly automatically get involved in meditation. This is because swimming is a dedicated activity that cannot be mixed with other distractions. When the mind is free to mediate, there is a qualitative improvement in life.
So, if you like water and you've been waiting for a reason to splash in its blue depths, you now have more than enough reasons to do it!

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